Help Me Reunite with My Daughter: Legal Fees Needed

Hello, my name is Stacey, and I am reaching out for your support during an incredibly challenging time for my family. My mother is fighting me for custody of my 12-year-old daughter as a form of punishment because I finally escaped her hold and moved away to provide a better life for my children.

Background:

Earlier this year, my daughter stayed with her grandmother to finish the last few weeks of the school year. She then asked to spend the remaining months of the summer with her grandmother to enjoy one last summer with her friends before relocating with me. During this time, as any 12-year-old would, my daughter expressed her frustrations about feeling misunderstood by her parents. My mother took these typical childhood frustrations and manipulated them into a false narrative of abuse.

The Ordeal:

My mother has a history of mental health issues, which have unfortunately gone untreated. She manipulated my daughter, putting her under distress and even threatening to harm her if she did not agree to tell a lawyer that she was being abused and that our home was unsafe. This caused my daughter to fall ill from the stress, which I didn't realize at the time. Even with my mom's history of untreated mental health issues, she was never harmful to my daughter. She was able to always try to be the best version of herself when my daughter was in her care. I didn't relocate my daugther when we moved because there was only 5 weeks of school left. She doesn't handle transitions well, I wanted to make sure she wasn't ripped out of school so close to the end of the year.

I had already planned to return to our home state to bring my daughter back early because I sensed something was wrong. The day I was set to leave, I was served with papers for a petition for guardianship. When I called my daughter, she broke down, terrified and threatened into silence.

That night, my mother threatened to take all my children and have me and my partner jailed. As the case unfolded, I learned more about her past violent behavior, which included stabbing my father when I was just one year old—information that had been hidden from me all my life.

Current Situation:

We recently went to court, where my mother lied to her lawyer and the judge, claiming my daughter had been living with her most of her life. Despite my daughter's pleas to come home with me and her admission of being under duress, the judge temporarily granted guardianship to my mother due to the false abuse allegations. A guardian ad litem has been appointed to investigate these baseless claims.

Now, my daughter is being forced to enroll in a school in my mother's town, disrupting her education and well-being as she is already enrolled in a school in another state. My daughter has been in counseling for anxiety and emotional outbursts, which my mother preyed upon to manipulate her.

Why I Need Your Help:

I need funds to pay for my legal fees to fight these allegations, protect my daughter, and reunite our family. Additionally, I need to file a petition for my daughter's paternal grandparents to be awarded temporary guardianship during this investigation. The judge has warned my mother about the consequences of lying, but she continues to hold onto her deceitful claims.

How You Can Help:

Your contributions will go directly towards:

Legal fees for my defense against the false allegations.

Filing fees for the petition to transfer temporary guardianship to my daughter's paternal grandparents.

Costs associated with the investigation by the guardian ad litem.

Every dollar helps, and any support you can offer, whether financial or by sharing our story, is deeply appreciated. Please help me bring my daughter back home where she belongs, away from the manipulation and distress caused by my mother.

Thank you for your kindness and support during this difficult time.